Building Tribal Nations 2014

October 13, 2014 | Wyoming Union on the UW Campus

The American Indian Studies Program at the University of Wyoming is excited to announce Building Tribal Nations 2014, a symposium that will focus on factors central to the nation building experience, this time with an international focus.

This symposium will take place October 13, 2014, from 1 - 5:30 p.m. in the Wyoming Union on the UW campus in Laramie. Generous support from the Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowment, created by the Wyoming State Legislature, makes it possible to provide this symposium free of charge to all attendees. Pre-registration for the symposium is required. Please register online or contact American Indian Studies at 307.766.6521 for assistance.

Confirmed Speakers

1 pm: Karla General (Mohawk)

Attorney, Indian Law Resource Center, Washington, D.C.

Speaking on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

2 pm: Xh'unei - Lance Twitchell (Tlingit)

Assistant Professor of Alaska Native Languages, University of Alaska Southeast

Speaking on language revitalization and sovereignty issues for Alaska Natives

The American Indian Studies Program at the University of Wyoming is excited to announce Building Tribal Nations, a symposium that will focus on factors central to the nation building experience. These factors include governance and intergovernmental relations, economic sustainability, education, health, and cultural vitality.

This two-day symposium will take place April 8 and 9, 2013, at the University of Wyoming Conference Center in Laramie. Generous support from the Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowment, created by the Wyoming State Legislature, makes it possible to provide this symposium free of charge to all attendees. Pre-registration for the symposium is required. Please register online or contact American Indian Studies at 307.766.6521 for assistance.

Persons participating in this symposium are eligible to earn .5 PTSB or 9.75 CLE credits.

Please check back often for symposium updates.

Confirmed Speakers

Tristan Ahtone (Kiowa)

Tristan Ahtone is a reporter for KUNM radio in Albuquerque, and a former reporter for Wyoming Public Radio. He has a master’s degree from the Columbia School of Journalism and a bachelor’s degree from the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Cheryl Crazy Bull (Sicangu Lakota)

Cheryl Crazy Bull is the new president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. She is the former president of Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Washington, and has more than 30 years of experience in tribal education.

Walter Echo-Hawk (Pawnee)

Walter Echo-Hawk is a Native American attorney, tribal judge, author and activist. His most recent book is In the Courts of the Conqueror: The 10 Worst Indian Law Cases Ever Decided (2010).

LaDonna Harris (Comanche)

LaDonna Harris is a political activist and founder of Oklahomans for Indian Opportunity (OIO) and Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO). She was a vice-presidential candidate for the Citizen’s Party and has served as adviser to UNESCO and the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity.

Darrell Robes Kipp (Blackfeet)

Darrell Robes Kipp is cofounder of the Piegan Institute, a national Native Language preservation organization located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. The success of the institute inspired Kipp and his colleagues to a Blackfeet language immersion school for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Wes Martel (Eastern Shoshone)

Wes Martel has served 19 years on the Business Council for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. During his time on the council, he has worked in the areas of water rights, energy negotiations and development, taxation, environment, government-to-government policy and treaty rights.

John St. Clair (Eastern Shoshone)

John St. Clair is Chief Judge of the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribal Court, and a board member of the National Indian Justice Center.

David Wilkins (Lumbee)

David Wilkins is a professor in American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota with adjunct appointments in political science, law, and American studies. His research and teaching interests include indigenous politics and governance and federal Indian policy and law.

Rick Williams (Oglala Lakota/Northern Cheyenne)

Rick Williams was the president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund from 1997-2012, and worked for the Native American Rights Fund previous to that.